This is a course on political violence in contemporary era, as such it mainly deals with global issues like terrorism, civil war, ethnic conflict, and weapons of mass destruction. The objective of the course is first to define these problems, then to explore the causes, and the proposed solutions to them. While doing so, the course touches upon concepts like religion, nationalism, and ethnicity, and examines how these concepts can turn into major driving forces of conflict by studying some of the recent conflicts in different parts of the world. The discussion on possible solutions includes domestic policy alternatives as well as international intervention and the role of international organizations.